讒

See also: 䜛 and 谗

讒 U+8B92, 讒 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-8B92 ← 讑 [U+8B91] CJK Unified Ideographs 讓 → [U+8B93]

Translingual

Han character

讒 (Kangxi radical 149, 言+17, 24 strokes, cangjie input 卜口弓口戈 (YRNRI), four-corner 0761₆, composition ⿰訁毚)

Derived characters

• 𡆙, 𡿣

Related characters

• 谗 (Simplified Chinese)

Further reading

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 1187, character 9
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 36137
• Dae Jaweon: page 1651, character 12
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 6, page 4032, character 6
• Unihan data for U+8B92

Chinese

trad.		讒
simp.		谗
alternative forms		䜛 ⿰訁兔／⿰讠兔 𲁰

Glyph origin

Characters in the same phonetic series (毚) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

	Old Chinese
纔	*zlɯː, *zlɯːs, *sraːm
讒	*zrɯːm, *zraːms
饞	*zrɯːm
毚	*zrɯːm, *zraːm
欃	*zrɯːm, *zraːms
攙	*zrɯːm, *sʰraːm
儳	*zrɯːm, *zrɯːms, *sʰraːms
酁	*zrɯːm
瀺	*zrɯːmʔ
嚵	*sʰraːms, *zraːm, *zlamʔ
巉	*zraːm, *zraːmʔ
劖	*zraːm
艬	*zraːm, *zraːms
鑱	*zraːm, *zraːms

Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *zrɯːm, *zraːms): semantic 言 (“speech”) + phonetic 毚 (OC *zrɯːm, *zraːm)

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): chán (chan²)

  (Zhuyin): ㄔㄢˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): caam⁴
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): chhâm / châm

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: chán
    • Zhuyin: ㄔㄢˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: chán
    • Wade–Giles: chʻan²
    • Yale: chán
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: charn
    • Palladius: чань (čanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʈ͡ʂʰän³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: caam⁴
    • Yale: chàahm
    • Cantonese Pinyin: tsaam⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: cam⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰaːm²¹/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chhâm / châm
    • Tâi-lô: tshâm / tsâm
    • Phofsit Daibuun: zhaam, zaam
    • IPA (Xiamen): /t͡sʰam²⁴/, /t͡sam²⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡sʰam²⁴/, /t͡sam²⁴/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /t͡sʰam¹³/, /t͡sam¹³/
    • IPA (Taipei): /t͡sʰam²⁴/, /t͡sam²⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡sʰam²³/, /t͡sam²³/

---

• Middle Chinese: dzream, dzraemH

Rime
Character	讒	讒
Reading #	1/2	2/2
Initial (聲)	崇 (20)	崇 (20)
Final (韻)	咸 (151)	銜 (149)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open
Division (等)	II	II
Fanqie	士咸切	士懺切
Baxter	dzream	dzraemH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/d͡ʒˠɛm/	/d͡ʒˠamH/
Pan Wuyun	/ɖ͡ʐᵚæm/	/ɖ͡ʐᵚamH/
Shao Rongfen	/d͡ʒɐm/	/d͡ʒamH/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɖ͡ʐəɨm/	/ɖ͡ʐaɨmH/
Li Rong	/d͡ʒɐm/	/d͡ʒamH/
Wang Li	/d͡ʒɐm/	/d͡ʒamH/
Bernhard Karlgren	/ɖ͡ʐʱăm/	/ɖ͡ʐʱamH/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	chán	zhàn
Expected Cantonese Reflex	caam4	zaam6

• Old Chinese

  (Zhengzhang): /*zrɯːm/, /*zraːms/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	讒	讒
Reading #	1/2	2/2
No.	1221	1242
Phonetic component	毚	毚
Rime group	侵	談
Rime subdivision	1	1
Corresponding MC rime	讒	鑱
Old Chinese	/*zrɯːm/	/*zraːms/

Definitions

讒

1. to slander; to defame; to vilify; to speak maliciously of others

   • 「我的心肝，你說的是，咱們讒他兩個。」 [Written Vernacular Chinese, trad.]
     「我的心肝，你说的是，咱们谗他两个。」 [Written Vernacular Chinese, simp.]

     From: Cao Xueqin, Dream of the Red Chamber, mid-18^th century CE

     “wǒ de xīngān, nǐ shuōdeshì, zánmen chán tā liǎng ge.” [Pinyin]

     "My dear, you are right indeed, let's slander them both."

2. slander; defamation; libel

   • 只說這王摩被四個弟兄獻讒趕逐，一時忿氣，奔下山來。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, trad.]
     只说这王摩被四个弟兄献谗赶逐，一时忿气，奔下山来。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, simp.]

     From: 青蓮室主人, 《後水滸傳》 (The Later Story of Water Margin), 17^th century CE

     Zhǐ shuō zhè Wángmó bèi sì ge dìxiōng xiàn chán gǎnzhú, yīshí fènqì, bēn xiàshān lái. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   • 讒人高張，賢士無名。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, trad.]
     谗人高张，贤士无名。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, simp.]

     From: The Verses of Chu, 4^th century BCE – 2^nd century CE

     Chán rén gāo zhāng, xiánshì wúmíng. [Pinyin]

     The people who commit slander loudly prevail, the virtuous hide in obscurity.

   • 君子信讒，如或醻之。君子不惠、不舒究之。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
     君子信谗，如或酬之。君子不惠、不舒究之。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Jūnzǐ xìn chán, rú huò shòu zhī. Jūnzǐ bù huì, bù shū jiū zhī. [Pinyin]

     Our sovereign believes slanders,
     as readily as he joins in the pledge cup.
     Our sovereign is unkind,
     And does not leisurely examine into things.

3. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) slanderer

   • 去讒遠色，賤貨而貴德，所以勸賢也。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, trad.]
     去谗远色，贱货而贵德，所以劝贤也。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, simp.]

     From: The Book of Rites, c. 4^th – 2^nd century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Qù chán yuǎn sè, jiàn huò ér guì dé, suǒ yǐ quàn xián yě. [Pinyin]

     Discarding slanderers, and keeping himself from the seductions of beauty; making light of riches, and giving honour to virtue — this is the way for him to encourage men of worth and talents.

   • 是以中外不通，讒慝不生，婦言不及官中之事。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, trad.]
     是以中外不通，谗慝不生，妇言不及官中之事。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, simp.]

     From: Guanzi, 5^th century BCE to 220 CE

     Shì yǐ zhōngwài bùtōng, chán tè bù shēng, fù yán bùjí guān zhōng zhī shì. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (讒):

• → Japanese: 讒(ざん) (zan)
• → Korean: 참(讒) (cham)
• → Vietnamese: sàm (讒)

Compounds

• 聽讒 / 听谗
• 聽讒惑亂 / 听谗惑乱
• 讒人 / 谗人
• 讒佞 / 谗佞 (chánnìng)
• 讒口 / 谗口
• 讒害 / 谗害 (chánhài)
• 讒慝 / 谗慝
• 讒構 / 谗构
• 讒臣 / 谗臣
• 讒言 / 谗言 (chányán)
• 讒言佞語 / 谗言佞语
• 讒諂 / 谗谄
• 讒譖 / 谗谮
• 讒間 / 谗间
• 讒隙 / 谗隙
• 讒鼎 / 谗鼎
• 進讒 / 进谗 (jìnchán)